Oct. 27, 2011

Littig Named NE-10 Top Defender; Six Named All-Conference | Team Stats | Live Stats

No. 2 UMass Lowell will face sixth-seeded Stonehill College on Friday at 4 p.m. in North Andover, MA for the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Field Hockey Championship.

The Skyhawks (10-9) defeated Franklin Pierce in Rindge, NH on Wednesday night, 3-0, to advance to championship weekend. Stonehill improves to 9-11 all-time in the NE-10 Tournament and is seeking the program's second championship.

The River Hawks (15-3), hunting their seventh title, enter play with a 15-3 NE-10 Tournament record. The match-up holds particular meaning in recent years as UMass Lowell and Stonehill have met in the finals to decide the three of the last six NE-10 Tournament Championships. The River Hawks have won two of those meetings (2006, 2010), while the teams were declared Co-Champions in 2005.

For UMass Lowell, the club has two of the most dangerous weapons in the conference in Defensive Player of the Year Kayla Littig (Carver, Mass.) and All-Conference First Team selection Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.). Both players set new career-highs as Littig scored nine goals and two assists for 20 points, while McCarthy tallied a conference-best 49 points, on 19 goals and 11 assists.

Stonehill has experienced some ups-and-downs this season, but have won three of its last four matches.

The Skyhawks will look to All-Conference First Team member Kathryn Nelson (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Rookie of the Year Jennifer Foley (Holden, Mass.) to drive the offense. Nelson led the team with 31 points (12g, 7a) and Foley finished second with 20 points (8g, 4a).

In the only meeting between the clubs this year, UMass Lowell defeated Stonehill 4-2 at Cushing Field on Sept. 20. McCarthy scored twice and Littig made a defensive save in the final minute to halt the Skyhawks' comeback bid.

For more information on the NE-10 Field Hockey Championship, please visit Tournament Central.